


Brontide: The Rumbling of Distant Thunder

by Not_Your_Average_Authoress



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Scott, Dark Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Mates, Pining, Possessive Derek, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Slow Burn, Spark Stiles Stilinski, stiles stil - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-10-28 15:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17790323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_Your_Average_Authoress/pseuds/Not_Your_Average_Authoress
Summary: Stiles Stilinski returns to Beacon Hills after graduating college, ready for a summer of resting and figuring out his next steps. The decision is taken out of his hands when, following a storm that no one but him seems to see, Derek Hale shows up in Beacon Hills, with a secret purpose and Kira in tow. With dark forces at work in the town and the Pack reunited, Stiles must decide who he is and who he wants to become.





	1. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Stiles blinked open his eyes. Vision blurry, having been woken slowly from a deep slumber, he glanced around the room. As he became more alert, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his heartbeat began to speed. Something was wrong.  
It looked like his bedroom. It looked like it had looked for years. Messy, clothes strewn around, dirty dishes sitting on the desk, same stupid posters from when he was in middle school. But something was off. It didn’t feel like his room.  
He sat up slowly, sliding his legs off of the edge of the bed, reaching for the baseball bat that he kept within an arm’s length everywhere he went. Closing his fingers around the handle, he hefted it at his side as he stood up.  
Each step was calculated. Years of running with wolves had taught him how to time his movements, to move with a precision and sense of purpose, to never be caught off guard. A flash of light lit up the window, and Stiles flinched. The room crackled with electricity.  
“That felt close.” Stiles whispered to himself. He stepped towards the window, never loosening his grip on the bat. He peered out. The night sky was black, the moon barely visible through a thick layer of clouds. It was raining, drops hitting the ground with tiny splashes that would usually put Stiles’ busy mind at rest.  
It was just a storm, the lightning had passed. But the hair on Stiles’s arm was still raised, goosebumps that always seemed to foretell a coming danger. Thunder rumbled in the distance.  
“One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five-”  
Lightning illuminated the sky once more. The storm was moving away. Stiles still felt uneasy. He got back in bed all the same, laying under the covers and staring out the window. The night passed, and when the sky lightened the sun found him still staring out the window, eyes dry and burning.  
He finally stirred, running his fingers through his hair and reaching for his phone on the nightstand.  
No new messages of course- it was about 6 in the morning. Not even Scott would be awake just yet, and he was up at all hours working at the clinic. His fingers hovered over the screen anyway as he stared, brow furrowed, wondering how to describe what he had felt the night before. Shaking his head, he turned off the phone and got up, shuffling downstairs.  
“You’re up early.”  
Stiles nodded with a yawn, waving a tired good morning to his dad, who was sitting at the kitchen table, laptop open.  
“Yeah, didn’t sleep too well last night.” Stiles said, opening the cabinet and reaching for a mug, only to be greeted with plates.  
“Mugs are on the left. Melissa rearranged them about a month back.” Sheriff Stilinski said, gesturing towards the cabinet in question.  
“And you let her? She’s been trying to get you to let her organize for ages.” Locating the mugs, Stiles poured a sizable amount of coffee, with a lot of sugar and just a dash of cream.  
“Yeah, she finally wore me down.” the Sheriff said good naturedly, a soft smile on his face that only appeared when he was talking about Melissa. Stiles smiled a little in response. He was glad they were together. Melissa had basically been his mother for years, and he already thought of Scott as his brother. His dad deserves a little happiness, and so did Melissa.  
“So, you couldn’t sleep?” his dad asked, closing his laptop. “Anything wrong?”  
Stiles frowned, brow furrowing. “I’m not sure. It was probably just the storm. Or just being back in Beacon Hills, sometimes stuff just sets me on edge.”  
“Well, I get that last one. Was there a storm?”  
Stiles looked up from the floor. “Yeah, didn’t you hear? It was really close in, pretty loud. The thunder woke me up.”  
Sheriff Stilinski shrugged. “Huh. I must have been knocked out, I didn’t hear anything.”  
He got to his feet, throwing on the jacket slung over the back of the chair.  
“I’ve gotta get down to the station,” he paused. “It’s good to have you back, Stiles.”  
Stiles finally cracked a real smile. “It’s good to be back. See ya later, Dad.”  
As the Sheriff walked out the door, Stiles’s phone lit up. 

Scotty-boy: Hey man, I’m off work at 4, see you after?

Stiles grinned and typed back an affirmative. As weird as last night had been, he really was happy to be back in Beacon, happy to see his dad and Scott, and hopefully the rest of the pack too. He hadn’t seen Scott since spring break- they hadn’t even been able to be at each other’s graduation. Scott had come back to work in the clinic for the summer. He had been  
accepted into vet school, but wanted to take a little time off to come home.  
Stiles had graduated with a degree in criminology, but wasn’t really sure where his path was taking him next. He needed some time to think, to figure thing out, and Beacon Hills just seemed to be calling out to him.  
He took a sip of his coffee and looked out the window. He was home.  
****  
Derek blinked open his eyes. Waking up in the middle of the night wasn’t an unusual occurrence for him- he was a very light sleeper, especially when he was shifted. He got up, stretching back onto his hindquarters, lifting his head and inhaling. His ears perked up.  
Waking up in the middle of the night might not be unusual for him, but rain was a bit unusual in the desert. He padded to the window.  
Derek had been spending a lot of time as a wolf lately. The heightened senses were nice, he never had to do laundry, and people generally stayed away from him. That was what he wanted. If anyone got too close they would start asking questions that he didn't want to answer. He’d already had to uproot a few too many times because of that very reason. The last time he had been caught as a human, Stiles had found him. Derek didn’t think he could handle that happening again.  
He heard a rumble of thunder, and the fur on his spine stood up. There was a lot of electricity in the air, and it felt wrong.  
One Mississippi, two Mississi-  
A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and Derek let out a growl. There was someone outside. The storm was right on top of them.  
A gust of wind blew into the window, and Derek’s eyes widened as he recognized the scent. He raised his snout and howled.  
Bones began to reform and reshape, muscle shifting and twisting, until Derek knelt on the floor, breathing heavily. He couldn’t remember the last time he had shifted from wolf to man. The wolf didn’t recognize time as well as he would like.  
Once the room stopped spinning around him, he stood up and quickly threw on some sweats and a tank top. He strode over to the door, yanking it open and jogging outside. It was pouring outside, the rain instantly soaking through his clothes.  
The figure he had seen stood a few yards away, barely illuminated by the moon struggling to break through the clouds. She looked different. Her hair was bound away from her face, three dark marks were painted beneath her eyes, and her scent was just different enough to make him hesitate. But the way she carried her sword was the same, and when the lightning flashed again, revealing her face, there was no doubt.  
“Kira?”


	2. Gut Feelings

Four o clock was an awfully long time to wait for Scott to off of work, Stiles thought once midmorning rolled around. He experimentally hefted the keys to the Jeep, left sitting on the kitchen counter. Scott had dropped it off with his dad as soon as he knew Stiles would be coming back from school. With a grin, he picked them up and went outside, clambering into the familiar interior of his car. 

“What say we go for a spin, huh baby?” he crooned under his breath. “Has Scott been taking care of you?” 

With its typical rumble, the jeep roared to life, and Stiles nodded with satisfaction. Scott had been taking good care of her, it looked like. 

A small time later, Stiles pulled into the parking lot of his favorite coffee shop in town, Beacon’s Beanery. A small smile filled his face as he looked at the exterior. Nothing ever really changed around Beacon, it was nice. The shop looked exactly the same. Hefting his bag over his shoulder, he strolled through the door, ready to order his usual and maybe start on some job applications (or browse social media, whichever struck his fancy), but was stopped in his tracks by a shocking and indecent sight. 

Theo Raeken was standing behind the counter, apron on and everything, handing a cup of coffee to Liam. The shortest member of the pack almost looked like he was blushing, and was leaning in really close to the counter, especially when said counter had THEO RAEKEN behind it. 

Theo tore his gaze away from Liam, eyes glancing up to the door, and the smile faded from his face. Liam, following his gaze, turned around, but instead of his smile fading, it widened at the sight of Stiles. 

“Hey man! Scott said you were back in town, how’s it goin?” he called, making his way over to Stiles and offering him a fist bump. Stiles looked at the pro-offered fist, bewildered, for a long moment, before striking it with his own. His eyes went back to Theo suspiciously, and Theo looked right back with an equal wariness. Liam’s eyes were flitting back and forth between the two of them. 

“Yeah, good to see you, Liam. What’s he doing here?” Stiles asked accusatory, pointing at Theo. 

“I work here, asshole,” Theo said, gesturing at the apron. “Do your eyes work?’ 

“Come on, guys,” Liam groaned. “Don’t start this up again.” 

“I’m not starting anything- He started it-” Stiles and Theo stumbled over each other’s words before glaring at each other. 

“Just play nice, please?” Liam said, looking at Theo with big puppy dog eyes. To Stiles’s immense shock, Theo rolled his eyes and shrugged. 

“Whatever. Are you gonna order something? You could probably use it, you look like shit.” 

“Fuck off dude, what, are you gonna poison it?’ 

“That would get me fired unfortunately, and I’ve got bills to pay. So what’ll it be?” Theo replied blandly. 

“Fine. Let me get a mocha with an extra shot of espresso.”

“That’ll be 4.25.” 

Stiles fished out a ten, and Theo handed him back his chance. He started to put it back in his wallet. 

“Not gonna tip? Never figured you for a cheapskate, Stiles.” 

Stiles glared at him before unceremoniously chucking a dollar into the tip jar. Theo grinned. “Enjoy.”

Stiles turned around and walked to a table, but not fast enough to avoid seeing the wink Theo threw at Liam. 

“Not now,” Liam hissed, before following Stiles to his table. He sat down, settling his hands around his cup, looking at Stiles in concern. 

“You know he’s right, you do look….. Tired.” Liam said. 

“I am kinda tired, I guess. That storm last night really kept me up.” Stiles sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

Liam’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Storm?” 

“Yeah, didn’t you hear it? It was really close in, pretty loud.” 

Liam shook his head slowly. “Nah, I didn’t hear anything. Maybe I was just sleeping really well last night or something.”

That worried Stiles. Liam was a notoriously light sleeper. So was his dad. If the storm hadn’t woken the two of them up, maybe it wasn’t a natural storm. He shrugged it off. 

“Since when are you a coffee guy?” he asked, glancing in Theo’s direction. 

Liam’s whole face colored. “Uh, I guess since just recently. Sophomore year of college hitting kind of hard, you know, and it just became a habit. How was your last year?” 

Stiles decided to let that go, and the two of them fell into a conversation about college, and majors, and other such things, before Stiles finally glanced at the time and cursed. 

“Shit, I’m supposed to meet my dad for lunch.” he gathered his stuff and ran out with a wave to Liam and a glare to Theo. 

Liam watched him leave the shop, waiting until the jeep had left the parking lot before approaching the counter. Theo met him there, his own cup of coffee in hand. 

“Rose, I’m going on break!” he called to the girl behind the register, who gave him an almost too cheery wave. Liam wanted to glare at her, but held himself back. 

“I think we should talk to Scott about Stiles.” Theo said, never one to beat around the bush. 

Liam nodded. “Yeah, me too. He looked… bad. Scott’ll notice when he sees himself but we should give him a heads up.”

“He didn’t just look bad,” Theo muttered. Liam looked at him quizzically. 

“You didn’t notice? His scent is off. Way off. I almost didn’t recognize it when he came in the shop. Something’s up. You should go talk to Scott at work.” 

“THAT’S what it was!” Liam exclaimed. “I knew it was something but I couldn’t pinpoint it. You’re right. I’ll go talk to Scott.” 

He stood for a moment, hovering nervously. Theo rolled his eyes, a playful glint in them. 

“I’ll see you after work, pipsqueak. Get going.” 

Liam grinned widely in spite of himself, and left, Theo grinning after him.  
***  
“Oh come on….” 

The jeep was starting to groan and wheeze, like it had when Stiles was still using duct tape to patch the engine. Steam was starting to come from under the hood. Stiles swore under his breath and pulled to the side of the road. He texted his dad to say he was going to be late, then hopped out of the car and threw open the hood. 

“Come on baby, I thought Scott was taking good care of you!” he said, waving the steam away from his face. It didn’t look like much was wrong at first glance, which was weird. It was usually pretty easy to tell when something was wrong with the Jeep.

Stiles sighed and stood back, running his hands through his hair. As he stood surveying his Jeep, he felt an odd tingle on the back of his neck, like his hair was standing on end. There was a flash, and he heard a crackling from behind him. 

He turned slowly, body tense, forcing himself to breathe deeply, At first he saw nothing; then, deep in the woods, past the town’s edge, he saw...something. A shadow, illuminated by quick bursts of light, dancing above the treetops, dark clouds covering the forest and heading towards the town. 

“What the fuck?” Stiles whispered. The whisper seemed to alert whatever it was to his presence, and its dancing stopped. Without warning, it sped towards him, and Stiles screamed.  
Then the clouds lifted, and the cars were passing on the road, and that was that. 

Stiles swallowed hard, breath coming in harsh gasps. Still staring where he had seen the Thing, he absentmindedly brought his hand up to his neck. It itched. 

Bringing himself back to reality, he got back in his car. The Jeep started with no problem, and he drove away. 

***  
Derek stole a glance at the girl in his passenger seat. Kira was staring absently out of the window, and for a moment, he almost recognized her as how she used to be. But Kira was very different now. 

After the whole storm thing the night before, she hadn’t really said much. There was a problem in Beacon. There was a problem with Stiles, and she needed him to come back with her. 

 

As much as he hated to admit it, the moment she had implied Stiles could be in danger, the decision had been taken out of his hands. There was no choice, no choice besides going back to Beacon. He had simply thrown some things in a bag, filled his car with gas, and the two of them were off. 

It was morning now, they had been driving for hours. Kira had slept the first part of the ride. She looked worn out. But she was awake, and Derek was thinking a little more clearly, and now he wanted some answers. 

“So, uh… what’s with the face paint?” He said, instantly regretting it. What an opener. 

It got a reaction from Kira, though- she looked away from the window, a half smile appearing on her face. 

“It’s a skinwalker ritual. You only get it once you’ve become really proficient at what they teach. You have to prove yourself.” 

A glint of pride shone in her eyes. 

“Most people don’t get it until they’ve been with them for half a century. I haven’t even been there for a decade.” 

“So they were able to help you?’ Derek said. That was the whole reason Kira had gone to the skinwalkers in the first place- they said they could help her control the fox. 

Kira nodded. “Yeah, mostly. I’m still learning, but the fox and I are on the same page now.” 

They drove in silence for a few more moments. 

“What’s going on, Kira?” Derek said finally, eyes glued to the road. “The Pack had problems before while I was gone and while you were gone. We aren’t really a part of it anymore. Why is this time different?” 

Kira sighed, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “I don’t really know, to be honest.” 

Derek’s eyebrows rose so high they nearly jumped off his head. 

“So you came and dragged me out of my perfectly comfortable life for no reason?” 

Kira glared at him. “No, of course not. I know we both have to go back, I know something is wrong. There’s something-” She broke off, drawing in a shaky breath. “My fox is acting strange. I’ve had it under control, I’ve done really well with the whole thing, but its sensing something. The only other time it acted like this was… well, the Nogitsune. With Stiles. I know I have to go back. But my fox wouldn’t let me leave without taking you, too. Call it instinct.” 

“Christ,” Derek swore. “The Nogitsune?” 

Kira shrugged. “Like I said, I’m not sure. If it’s not the Nogitsune, its something with that amount of power and chaos.” 

She looked at him critically. “You’ve been feeling something too, I can tell. Something’s off, and you know it." 

Derek stayed silent, but he pushed down on the gas pedal. It was true, he had been… off. He had been restless, unusually so, and there had been a pit in his stomach that he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. 

It was a long time since he had been in Beacon Hills. Maybe it was time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the second chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters.


	3. HomeComing

Stiles pulled up to the clinic, a grin coming to his face as he surveyed the familiar sight. The memories associated with this place weren’t always the best, but things hadn’t been all bad there. Deaton’s place was filled with memories of Pack more than anything, and the Pack was something Stiles had missed sorely over the past four years of college. They would see each other during the summers, true, but the fact of the matter was that members were drifting away. The Pack was Stiles’s family, the most family he had since his mom died. 

Speaking of family, Scott jogged out of the clinic, crooked smile on his face as he waved enthusiastically at Stiles. The two basically brothers hadn’t seen each other since the end of winter break, and the separation had been tough on them both. 

Scott clambered into the car with all the grace of a puppy still learning how to walk, and the two embraced, clapping each other on the back. 

“So, where to, Scotty-boy?” 

“I feel like I could eat a cow. How about Shelly’s?” Scott replied, naming the diner that they would always frequent when they were younger. Stiles’s mouth was watering in anticipation. 

“Hell yes, let’s go!” 

They drove off towards the diner, making some idle chat. 

“How’s Malia? I haven’t talked to her since winter break.” Stiles asked. One could assume that Scott dating Stiles’s ex girlfriend would have driven a wedge in their friendship, but it hadn’t even caused a bump. 

Scott shifted awkwardly in his seat. 

“Yeah, about that…” he said, scratching the back of his head. “The two of us kind of broke up.” 

“For real? What happened?” Stiles asked, glancing at his friend in concern. Scott had always had a soft heart, and things like this tended to hit him harder than most people. “You ok?” 

“Yeah, honestly, I’m fine, I think it’s for the best. But there’s something you should probably know…” Scott trailed off. 

“What? Oh no, she didn’t break up with you because of me or anything did she?” Stiles panicked, shooting alarmed looks at Scott when he could take his eyes off the road. 

“No, no, nothing like that” Scott laughed. “But she, uh…. I guess she and Lydia might be kind of, I don’t know exactly, together?” 

Stiles had just pulled into a parking spot, thank God, because he stopped in his tracks and stared at Scott. 

“What?” 

“Yeah, that’s why she broke up with me. I guess she’s been into Lydia for a long time, and they talked, and I guess the feeling’s mutual. I knew Malia was into girls too, but I definitely didn’t think Lydia was her type,” Scott chuckled sheepishly. 

“I can’t believe Lydia didn’t tell me! What the fuck?? This is huge!” Stiles said, gesturing wildly and almost hitting Scott. Stiles and Lydia hadn’t worked out, they had figured that out very quickly into their first year of college, but the two friends were still very close. 

“Take a pause, man,” Scott said, eyes crinkling at his friend’s reaction. “Lets get you some food and then maybe you’ll calm down.” 

Stiles simply sighed in exasperation, flinging the Jeep’s door open and jumping out. 

Scott’s smile fell from his face. Theo had been right, something was wrong with Stiles. His scent was very off, even though he was acting like the brother and friend Scott knew. People’s scents didn’t just change on a whim. Something was going on, and knowing what usually happened in Beacon Hills and with members of his pack, Scott didn’t expect it to be any good. 

He narrowed his eyes. Was that a tattoo on the back of Stiles’s neck? 

Stiles turned around before Scott could get a good look at it.

“You coming, man?” 

Plastering a smile back onto his face, Scott got out of the car. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Liam. 

Did you notice the tat on Stile’s neck earlier?

Liam wrote back almost instantly. 

Nope. Is it big? If it was a small one I might have missed it. 

It looks big. Some of it’s covered by his shirt. 

I definitely didn’t see a big tat on his neck this morning. Theo didn’t either. Ask him? 

Not yet. Theo was right, something’s off. I’m gonna wait and see. 

Scott put his phone back into his pocket. He was going to have to keep a very close eye on things with his friend. 

***  
Welcome to Beacon Hills! 

Derek drew in a deep breath as they flew past the sign welcoming them into the city limits. Kira had taken over driving for this segment of the journey, and her eyes hadn’t left the road once, two worry lines drawn between her brows. Derek understood. The closer they got to Beacon Hills, the more he wanted to turn back and go home. His skin was crawling, and the back of his neck was itching like crazy. 

“Well, I guess we’re back.” Kira said softly, glancing his direction for the first time in the last hour or so. 

“I guess so.” 

“Where do you think we should go?” she asked. She seemed unsure for the first time since they had been reunited, and that made Derek very uneasy. 

“Well..” He paused. “I think I still have Stiles’s number.” 

Kira shook her head vehemently. 

“I think it’s best if Stiles doesn’t know the two of us are here quite yet.” 

“Scott then?” Derek asked. 

Kira swallowed hard, but nodded. “That’s probably our best bet.” 

Without another word, she swerved over to the side of the road, Derek clutching the arm rest of his seat. 

“What the hell?” 

Kira looked at him like he was stupid. “I have to find Scott.” 

“I have his number too, Kira, I can just call him.” Derek fished his phone out of his pocket and waved it. 

“No phones.” She hopped out of the car lithely, walking into the first line of the trees and coming to a stop. Closing her eyes, she sat down, pressing both her palms flat on the ground and inhaling. As Derek watched, sparks started lighting in her hair, and the grass around her began to rustle gently, even though there was no wind. Derek looked around nervously. If a car came by right now, this would attract some unwanted attention. 

Kira was whispering something under her breath, then pulled out a small dagger and thrust it into the earth. Electricity crackled around it, and when she pulled it out, the weapon was glowing slightly. She opened her eyes, and they had turned a dark obsidian. She strode back to the car, placing the dagger on the dash in front of her. 

She looked at Derek, but her eyes were far away. “I found him.” 

Chills ran down Derek’s spine. Kira had grown more powerful than he had thought. He had assumed that joining the skinwalkers would only increase her abilities as a kitsune, but it looked like it was far more than that. 

Kira started the car, and they drove into town, following an unknown trail that supposedly led to Scott McCall. 

***  
Derek and Kira pulled into the parking lot of a diner, Shelly’s, that Derek remembered eating at a couple of times. Both of those times had been with Stiles. 

Kira’s eyes had faded back to her usual, although Derek was still unsettled. 

The two of them stepped out of the car, and Derek sniffed, trying to locate Scott’s scent. He locked on, and saw the Jeep a few rows away. 

“Kira.” 

The Kitsune followed his gaze, a frown etched into her face. 

“We need to be careful.” 

Derek nodded. 

“Wait, there’s another scent with Scott. I don’t recognize it.” he said, inhaling deeply. The smell was very slightly familiar, but he couldn’t place it. The only thing he could make out was a tinge of-

“Magic,” he spat out. It was making his face tingle. 

Kira inhaled sharply, staring into the window of the restaurant. Derek looked as well, and felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. Scott was at the diner, just as Kira had said he would be, but he wasn't alone. Stiles was sitting at the table across from him, laughing as he hooked a fry in his fingers and ate it. 

Derek couldn’t look away. He hadn’t seen Stiles in three years, he thought this reaction would have died down by now, but the simple sight of the younger man was still enough to make him weak in the knees. 

He had grown his hair out again, brushing it off of his face as Derek watched. He was still wearing a flannel, pushed up to the middle of his forearms, even in the California summer. His grin was as large as Derek remembered, his freckle dotted face scrunching with the force of it. Every part of Derek yearned to run into the diner, to get to Stiles, but he was frozen. 

He stood like a man entranced until Kira physically pushed him out of the line of sight with strength disproportional to her small stature. 

“We have to move. Scott saw me, he knows we’re here. He’ll get in contact, but I didn’t know Stiles was going to be here. I didn’t see him. We have to go.” 

Derek shook his head blearily. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Come on, Derek, you’re smarter than that. I didn’t see Stiles when I looked for Scott. With the method that the skinwalkers taught me, that shouldn’t be possible. And why didn’t you smell him?” 

A bitter taste shot through Derek’s mouth. 

“Maybe I did.” He muttered. “The scent that was with Scott. It didn’t smell like Stiles, but it smelled like…”

“Magic.” Kira finished. “Fuck! This is worse than I thought. Stiles can’t know we’re here, Derek, we have to leave.” 

Derek let her manhandle him back into the car. As they drove away, Stiles looked up from the table, and Derek stared after him helplessly. 

This couldn’t be happening again.   
***  
Scott looked out the window, having finished his food. Stiles was still acting normal, but he had been on edge all day. So when he saw two figured standing outside the diner, staring at him, he almost bolted. Then he saw who they were- or rather, who one of them was. 

Kira. 

She looked him straight in the eye, and it was like there was no glass separating them. Her expression was more serious than he had ever seen it before. Her dark hair flowed around her face as he took her in, all black clothes and lithe figure and Kira. He had thought he might never see her again. 

She looked at him pleadingly, and raised a finger to her lips, eyes flitting to Stiles. She shook her head, and then pushed the man next to her -Derek, his mind registered- out of sight. Scott was transfixed, but her message was clear. He couldn’t say anything about this to Stiles, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from looking out the window every few seconds, his entire being aching to follow her. 

Stiles noticed Scott glancing out of the window, as much as his friend seemed to be weirdly trying to hide it. He raised his eyes and looked out, only to see a black car pulling out of the parking lot. His eyes were drawn to it, following its path out of the lot and out of sight. Two dark figures flashed into being outside of the window, gone as quickly as they had come, and Stiles winced. He scratched the back of his left arm. 

He had missed something, something important. He turned his gaze back to Scott. Scott knew. But Scott didn’t want to tell him.   
He couldn't remember the last time Scott had kept a secret from him. He didn’t like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter, life got in the way! Derek and Kira finally made it to Beacon Hills. This story is definitely a Sterek one, but Scott and Kira are also going to be a pretty prominent couple, because I refuse to accept how the show ended with the two of them. I hope you guys enjoyed, and I will be updating the next chapter in the next week!


	4. Reunited

Theo’s truck pulled into the parking lot of the high school. It was summer, and nighttime, so the area was abandoned. Kira had chosen a good spot- it was likely safe here. Scott stepped out of the truck, signaling to Theo to stay at the wheel. Theo nodded. Scott had been hesitant to bring Theo fully into the pack, given the Chimera’s past, even on Liam’s recommendation, but Theo had proven himself time and time again. His loyalty to the Pack had startled Scott, but it was appreciated nonetheless. He supposed Liam had been right about him. He should probably start listening to his Beta more often. He and Theo had apparently gotten to be pretty close friends- Scott had chosen not to include Liam in this particular mission, but he could still smell the younger man on Theo. 

The Alpha took a deep breath, inhaling the comforting familiarity of Kira’s scent. No one else was there. He had thought Derek might be, but he couldn’t catch his scent, and the bit of the way that Derek’s scent had been with Kira’s had ended about a mile back. 

Scott pushed open the door to the school. She was waiting for him. He was struck dumb again, not able to even greet her. 

“Hey, Scott,” she said softly, eyes gleaming in the dim light of the entrance. 

“Hey,” he replied, still spellbound. 

The two former lovers stared at each other for a few moments, each drinking in the sight of the other, before they both spoke at the same time. 

“So-”

“How are-”

They broke off, each with a slightly sheepish grin. 

“You first,” Scott said. 

Kira bit her lip. 

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but… something’s wrong in Beacon Hills.” she said hesitantly.

Scott nodded. “I know.” 

Kira looked slightly suspicious. Scott was never the most observant guy in the world, which is likely what she was remembering. 

“You do?” 

“Yeah. Ever since a couple of days ago. The whole Pack’s been kinda on edge.” He scratched the back of his neck. “And I kinda figured something was up when I saw you earlier. That’s why you’re back, right?” 

Not for me. Of course not for me, he thought, but he didn’t speak the words out loud. He might have dared to hope, for a moment, but when Kira hadn’t come into the restaurant, he knew there was something more serious going on than a long-awaited reunion. 

Kira’s glance shifted away from him. She looked almost guilty. 

“I mean, yeah, that’s why. Not that I didn’t want to come back, I wanted to come back sooner, but.. I couldn't, you know, the skinwalkers. It’s not something you can just walk in and out of.”

She looked back at him, eyes pleading with Scott to understand. He did, to an extent. That didn’t lessen the hurt he had felt since Kira had left. 

“Yeah, of course. I get it.” 

Kira sighed. “You’re probably not going to want to hear this either, but I think this whole thing has something to do with-”

“Stiles.” Scott finished. Kira’s eyes widened

“You know?” 

“Yeah. Come on, I’ll fill you in.” 

****  
“Come on, I’ll fill you in.” 

Stiles caught the last few moments of Scott and Kira’s conversation before the two moved away from his hearing range. He clenched his teeth. He had been hoping that maybe the two of them were just having some kind of reunion, maybe getting back together or something, but then they had said his name, and it was clear that wasn’t the case. He knew Scott was hiding something from him. He didn’t think it was something of this magnitude. 

He scratched his right thigh. A second tattoo had bloomed on the back of his left arm, but Stiles hadn’t noticed either of them yet. He hadn’t been home to notice them. 

How could Scott think he was involved in anything? This was his best friend, his brother, and instead of just talking to him so Stiles could say “of course Scott, I’m not involved in anything, that’s crazy!”, he had gone behind his back with Kira, who had just appeared out of nowhere, fresh from the desert and looking like a skinwalker. 

It was because of the Nogitsune, wasn’t it? That’s why Kira was involved, why she and Scott were so quick to jump to blame Stiles. Just because he had been possessed in the past, they were going to lay the blame on him? Someone who had saved their asses more times than he could count? He clenched his fist, fingernails cutting into the skin until they drew blood. His eyes were glowing, a deep, burnt orange, and the grass near his feet had started to rustle, even though there was no wind. A drop of his blood fell onto the ground, and it sizzled. 

Get them. 

A voice in the back of his head whispered, so quietly that Stile’s mistook it for his own. 

Teach them not to disrespect you. 

Almost in a trance, Stiles slowly got to his feet. Face blank and expressionless, he started walking towards the school. He was almost at the door when he heard a familiar voice call his name. 

“Stiles?” 

Stiles blinked, and snapped back to reality, the glow fading from his eyes as he spun, facing the man who had haunted his dreams for the past… well, for years.   
Derek was standing at the edge of the grass, wearing a typical black tee and jeans. He had more of a beard than the last time Stiles had seen him, but he was still the same Derek. He looked good, healthy and strong, and Stiles almost wanted to cry. 

“Derek!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the love you've shown this story so far! This chapter is a bit shorter and more Scott and Kira centric than I intended it, but I wanted to get it published as I won't have a lot of time to write over the next week. Next chapter will be more focused on Derek and Stiles. I hope you all enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter in an ongoing work, which I will be updating once a week if all goes to plan! I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf and its characters are not mine.


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